National Day of Silence
Monday, April 17th, 2000Those of you who have been reading Frugal Mania for any length of time know that I don’t tend to get political very often, but when I do it is about something worth hearing. Today is the National Day of Silence brought about to draw attention to anti-gay name calling, bullying and harassment in schools. For that reason, I am foregoing my usual posts in order to focus the attention on a very worthwhile cause.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and even questioning youth are fighting a losing battle just by being true to themselves. Thousands of GLBT teens are being kicked out of their homes because of their sexual identity.
I am a gay man. At 36 I have a good life. A partner of four years who loves me, a comfortable home, a car that gets me where I need to go (most of the time) and more than enough food on the table. When I was a child I was taunted and teased on a daily basis because I was small and soft-spoken. I had no interest in sports because I couldn’t play, and that made me an outcast well into my teen years.
Several years ago I was the victim of a brutal hate crime that left me on the brink of death for several weeks. Thanks to brilliant medical professionals I am very much alive and well, but the incident made me realize just how dangerous it still is to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender in this society.
Please take a moment to watch this video featuring Lance Bass (of N’Sync fame):
And to find out more about the Day of Silence, visit dayofsilence.org
